Automatic door-closing apparatus.



' No. 889,188. PATENTBD MAY 26, 1908.

E. ZPPGHBN 8 G. DUsBL. AUTOMATIC D008 CLOSING APPARATUS.

.' APPLIOATION FILED 11128.28', 1908.

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No. 889,168. I PATENTED MAY 26, 1908. E. ZPPGEEN & (LDUSEL. AUTOMATIC DOOR CLOSING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28, 1908.

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EMIL ZPFOHEN ANDCHRISTIAN DUSEL, 'OF HILDESHEIM, GERMANY.

AUTMATIC DOOR-CLOSING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.l

Application 1ed February 28, 1908.

Patented/May 26, 1908.

Serial No. 418,198.

To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known that we, EMIL ZPFoHEN, sculptor, and CHRISTIAN DUsEL, technician, citizens of Germany, subjects of the King of Prussia and Emperor of Germany, residing at Hildesheim, in the Kingdom of Prussia and Empire of Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Door-Closing Appliances, of which the following is a full, clear, .and exact description.

This invention refers to automatic door closing appliances and has for its object to provide means which will insure the complete closing of a door and the fastening of the door by the usual latch or fastening means. Automatic door closers as previously made do not always eect the complete closing of the door and the door remains slightly aj ar. By this invention the door is completely closed.

The operation is divided into two stages, and is effected by two coperating devices, one of which serves to effect the rst portion of the closing of the door, and then releases the other device which then serves to effect the second portion of the closing and the engaging of the door with its fastening. A

The invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is illustrated in the accom* panying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan partly in section of that part of the improved door closing appliances which is arranged near the hinged side of the door. Fig. 2 is a plan partly in section of that part of the said appliances which is arranged near the latch side of the door. Fig. 3 is a side view partly in section of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of an arrangement for moving the door latch or door handle. Fig. 5 is an elevation of a door (partly broken away) and of the whole arrangement of the improved appliances applied thereto. Fig. is a plan view partly in section of a portion of the parts shown in Fig. 5.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, 1 is a lever secured at one end to a shaft 4 and at its other end formed with a slot 2 for guiding the roller 3 fitted to the upper edge of the door, (see Fig. 5.) This lever is rigidly fitted to the shaft 4 which extends below the casing 38, (see Fig. 3.)

Connected with the casing in any suitable manner is a tube 13. Fast upon the shaft 4 is a toothed sector 5 which meshes with a pinion tain speed.

6 keyed to the spindle 7. The pinion 6, through the wheel 8 on the spindle 7, the Wheel 15-loosely mounted on the spindle 16, the dog 18 carried by the wheel 17, and pressed against the wheel 15 by a spring 19, drives the wheel I17. The wheel 17 operatesa regulator, which is constructed on the principle of a centrifugal governor, through a lantern Wheel20, the `balls 22 carried by a spindle 21 on which the lantern Wheel 20 is mounted,`on attaining a certain speed engaging with a brake plate 22L (Fig. 3) so that the rapidity of the closing of the door is limited to a cer- This regulator only comes into action when the door is closing. When opening the door, the'regulator is prevented moving by the dog 18 slipping over the teethof the wheel 15. A rack bar 9 formed with a smooth face 10 and a disk 11, meshes with the pinion 8. The disk 1 1 serves for tensioning a spring 12 wound around the bar 9, the other end of the spring bearing against the disk 14. This latter is rigidly fittedin a tube 13 so that the spring 12 is placed under com-v pression by the movement of the rack bar 9 toward thecasing 38.

The foregoing devices serve chiefly for the primary closing of the door. .The devices for securing the final closing of the doorV comprise a lever 23 firmly fitted to the spindle 24 beneath the casing 39 (see Figs. 2k and 5). The spindle 24 within the-casing 39 is fitted with a toothed wheel 25 with which meshes the rack bar 26. A prolongation 27 of the bar 26, is fitted with a disk 28 which serves for tensioning the spring 29 arranged between the disks 28 and a disk -31 the former of which slides in the tube 3() while the latter is fixed. The tube 30 reaches to the casing 39 and is fitted to the same.

On opening the door the lever 23 is turned by the roller 3@L (Fig. 5) arranged on the upper edge of the door and thus the bar 26 is moved towards the hinged side of the door, and the spring 29 compressed and placed under tension. At a certain moment of the tensioning of the spring 29, a hook 32 engages a notch 33 of the bar 27 after it has passed through the disk 31 and thus holds the bar 27 fast. The hook is fitted to a bent spring 34 whichis fixed to the disk 35 rigidly fixed in the tube 36. This tube is rigidly attached to and serves to couple the .tubes 13 and 3() together 'in alinement and to support the disk 35 between the adjacent ends of the tubes 13 and the side of the disk 35 facing the end of the tube 30, and the hook portion projects towards the bar 27, above the aXial center of the tube 36. The prolongation 10 of the rack bar 9 is provided with a shoulder 37 on that part projecting beyond the disk 11. The disk 35 is formed with an opening 40 through which the bar is adapted to move and thus raise the spring 34 and release the spring 29.

In order to overcome the resistance of the spring situated in the lock of the door and pressing upon the door latch, the arrangement shown in Fig. 4 is provided. A hook 53 (Fig. 5) on a plate 50 slides up the inclined face of a hook 41 (Fig. 4) when the door is closed and by means of a rod 42 (Fig. 5) and a lever arm 45 draws up the latch side of the handle 51 and thus forces back the latch until the hook 53 drops into the notch 44.

Operation: When the door is opened the Wheel 25 is turned from left to right by the movement of lever 23, and the spring 29 thereby compressed by the movement from left to right imparted to the rack bar 26 by the turning of wheel 25. When the spring 29 is fully compressed, the rack bar 26 is engaged and held by the hook 32. The opening ofthe door also serves to com ress spring 12 by reason of the longitudina movement from left to right imparted to rack bar 9 by l lever l, shaft 4, sector 5 and wheel 6, the

wheel 17 remaining stationary during the movement by the slipping of the dog 18 over wheel 15, and the regulator being consequently inactive. The compression of spring 12 continues during the whole time the door is opening and when the door is released the expansion of the spring, 12 propels the bar 9 from right to left and this movement acting through wheel 6, sector 5, and lever 1 serves to produce the primary closing of the door, the regulator mechanism being brought into action during this movement by the engagement of dog 18 with one of the teeth of the Wheel 15. The progressive movement of the bar 9 causes it towards the nal closing movement, to release hook 32 from engagement with bar 26 thereby permitting vthe spring 29 to act and move in the bar 26 to the left thus turning wheel 25 from right to left and eiiecting the inal closing movement of the door.

It will now be seen that the closing of the door is irst eHected by the spring (12) and 55 closing movement of the door, a toothedsector mounted on said shaft a train of gearing connected with said sector a governor regulator actuated by said train of gearing a longitudinall movable rack bar engaged by one wheel o said train of gearing a spring 7o surrounding said rack bar and compressible thereby of a second rack bar a toothed wheel in mesh therewith a shaft on which said toothed wheel is mounted said shaft being? connected with the door a second spring surrounding said second rack bar, a hook adapted to engage said second rack bar, and adapted to be disengaged by the movement of the rst rack bar from engagement with said hook.

2. In a door closer, the combination of two spiral springs, two longitudinally movable bars each independently connected to a door and each connected to and adapted to compress one of said springs, means for moving S5 said rods in the same direction when the door is opened and thereby compressing both springs, means for holding one of said rods when the spring connected to said rod is compressed and means for releasing the said 90 holding means by the longitudinal movement of the other of said rods.

In witness whereof, we subscribe our signatures, in presence of two witnesses.

EMIL ZPFCHEN. CHRISTIAN DUSEL. 

